Review: Uproot Sauvignon Blancs, 2011 Vintage
Uproot is a brand new wine label that is launching with just two varietals: Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc. Exceedingly unconventional, Uproot offers one of very few Sauvignon Blancs that is aged in oak barrels: 47 percent one year old French Barrels, 44 percent French Oak puncheons, and nine percent stainless steel.
Here’s how the inaugural Sauvignon Blanc bottlings shake out.
2011 Uproot Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley – A whiff of ammonia on the nose leads to a crisp and refreshingly tart body. Crisp grasses and a touch of lemon peel take you into a light, hay-infused finish. Not at all tropical or overly fruity, this wine is a fresh and easy aperitif, perhaps a little too modest for its own good. B+ / $42
2011 Uproot Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley Gray Edition – Aged in oak for nine months longer than the standard bottling. Beautiful wine. Here we have a moderate to big body, typical of Chardonnay, but tamped down with the acid of Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp, with melon, pineapple, and lemon notes, the finish is lightly grassy like the non-Gray version, but quite refreshing. Unexpected for a Sauv Blanc (right down to the 2/3-size bottle) but surprisingly drinkable. A- / $44 (500ml)
2011 Uproot Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
$42
